Looking for a photo tool to combine multiple pictures to 4x6 size print

Discussion in 'Digital Photography' started by nospam.photo@none.com, Jan 22, 2008.

Guest

What's a good easy to use photo editing tool that would allow me to
combine 4-6 photos to one 4x6 photo for printing?

What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.

I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
unbelievably frustrating to do so. One of my photoshop expert friend
told me to create an empty canvas of the correct size (300xpi x 4 x
6), and resize each picture I want to the correct dimension (requres
manual calculation), and paste the pictures. But I can't figure out a
good way to resize the image after I paste it to the blank image. I
can't drag and resize the pasted image. Yes I am probably missing
something so please tell me if I am doing this the hard way.

My photoshop foo is weak. There must be an easier to use tool that
does this than photoshop. I also have ACDSee and Picasa, and I tried
Qimage (another difficult to use tool).

I am sure I am not the first one to do this, so please help me out. My
wife is nagging me for a while, and being a computer guy I feel silly
that I can't do this in just a few minutes.

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On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:47:56 +0000 (UTC), wrote in
<fn5kps$1f4u$>:
>
>What's a good easy to use photo editing tool that would allow me to
>combine 4-6 photos to one 4x6 photo for printing?
>
>What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
>pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
>pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
>printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
>the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.
>
>I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
>unbelievably frustrating to do so. One of my photoshop expert friend
>told me to create an empty canvas of the correct size (300xpi x 4 x
>6), and resize each picture I want to the correct dimension (requres
>manual calculation), and paste the pictures. But I can't figure out a
>good way to resize the image after I paste it to the blank image. I
>can't drag and resize the pasted image. Yes I am probably missing
>something so please tell me if I am doing this the hard way.
>
>My photoshop foo is weak. There must be an easier to use tool that
>does this than photoshop. I also have ACDSee and Picasa, and I tried
>Qimage (another difficult to use tool).
>
>I am sure I am not the first one to do this, so please help me out. My
>wife is nagging me for a while, and being a computer guy I feel silly
>that I can't do this in just a few minutes.

What's your problem with Qimage? What you're trying to do is its forte.

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In article <fn5kps$1f4u$>, <>
wrote:
> I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
> unbelievably frustrating to do so. One of my photoshop expert friend
> told me to create an empty canvas of the correct size (300xpi x 4 x
> 6), and resize each picture I want to the correct dimension (requres
> manual calculation), and paste the pictures. But I can't figure out a
> good way to resize the image after I paste it to the blank image.

in the edit menu, pick one of the various transform options. free
transform will let you resize, rotate and move in any combination. if
you want a specific change (such as scale only), then one of the other
transforms might be a better choice. use the shift key to constrain
the aspect ratio, rotate angle, or move direction.
> I can't drag and resize the pasted image.

pasting images will put each one in its own layer. select the desired
layer and use the move tool (topmost tool in cs3, or top right in the
old style toolbar and cs2 and earlier) and drag to wherever you want.

Re: Looking for a photo tool to combine multiple pictures to 4x6size print

wrote:
> What's a good easy to use photo editing tool that would allow me to
> combine 4-6 photos to one 4x6 photo for printing?
>
> What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
> pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
> pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
> printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
> the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.
>
> I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
> unbelievably frustrating to do so.

Control+T puts the pasted layer in transform mode. With the arrow tool,
move it around and control-click the corners to resize while maintaining
aspect ratio.
> One of my photoshop expert friend
> told me to create an empty canvas of the correct size (300xpi x 4 x
> 6), and resize each picture I want to the correct dimension (requres
> manual calculation), and paste the pictures. But I can't figure out a
> good way to resize the image after I paste it to the blank image. I
> can't drag and resize the pasted image. Yes I am probably missing
> something so please tell me if I am doing this the hard way.
>
> My photoshop foo is weak. There must be an easier to use tool that
> does this than photoshop. I also have ACDSee and Picasa, and I tried
> Qimage (another difficult to use tool).
>
> I am sure I am not the first one to do this, so please help me out. My
> wife is nagging me for a while, and being a computer guy I feel silly
> that I can't do this in just a few minutes.
>
> Anyway, thanks in advance!
>
> Raymond

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:08:41 -0800, nospam <> wrote
in <220120081308414674%>:
>In article <fn5kps$1f4u$>, <>
>wrote:
>
>> I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
>> unbelievably frustrating to do so. One of my photoshop expert friend
>> told me to create an empty canvas of the correct size (300xpi x 4 x
>> 6), and resize each picture I want to the correct dimension (requres
>> manual calculation), and paste the pictures. But I can't figure out a
>> good way to resize the image after I paste it to the blank image.
>
>in the edit menu, pick one of the various transform options. free
>transform will let you resize, rotate and move in any combination. if
>you want a specific change (such as scale only), then one of the other
>transforms might be a better choice. use the shift key to constrain
>the aspect ratio, rotate angle, or move direction.

Guest

Paul Furman <> wrote:
> > What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
> > pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
> > pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
> > printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
> > the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.
> >
> > I am sure you can do this in photoshop, and I have tried, but it's
> > unbelievably frustrating to do so.
> Control+T puts the pasted layer in transform mode. With the arrow tool,
> move it around and control-click the corners to resize while maintaining
> aspect ratio.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Sounds like I should give
photoshop another try. Last time I got stuck trying to resize the
pasted image..

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:47:56 +0000 (UTC), <> wrote:
>
> What's a good easy to use photo editing tool that would allow me to
> combine 4-6 photos to one 4x6 photo for printing?
>
> What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
> pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
> pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
> printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
> the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.

At least in the Mac version of Powerpoint, there's a setting in the
preferences that will let you up the resolution of bitmap exports (in PP
2004, it's in the Save tab of the Preferences pane). I'd imagine that
the Windows version has something similar.

Powerpoint may not be the best tool for the job (see some of the other
responses for some options), but if it's what you're used to, it can do
the job.

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:20:46 GMT, Daniel Silevitch
<> wrote in
<.2wire.net>:
>On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:47:56 +0000 (UTC), <> wrote:
>>
>> What's a good easy to use photo editing tool that would allow me to
>> combine 4-6 photos to one 4x6 photo for printing?
>>
>> What I am looking for is a power-point like interface. I cut/paste
>> pictures, and resize them by dragging its outlines. Then overlay other
>> pictures partially on top of this one. I can use powerpoint when I am
>> printing the picture myself, but when I export the file to tiff/png,
>> the resolution is too small for sending to photo services.
>
>At least in the Mac version of Powerpoint, there's a setting in the
>preferences that will let you up the resolution of bitmap exports (in PP
>2004, it's in the Save tab of the Preferences pane). I'd imagine that
>the Windows version has something similar.
>
>Powerpoint may not be the best tool for the job (see some of the other
>responses for some options), but if it's what you're used to, it can do
>the job.

PowerPoint does a wretched job of resizing images. I can think of no
"better" way to get a mediocre quality print.

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